"A classic in the field; in fact, it has the field to itself. Every scholar in Shakespeare studies knows about this volume."--William Carroll, author of *The Metamorphoses of Shakespearean Comedy*
I am certain that this book does indeed have the field to itself; and the assertion that every scholar in Shakespeare studies knows about this volume is probably no exaggeration either. This is a truly excellent publication, and it can safely be said that every serious scholar in Shakespeare studies SHOULD know it. The book has a final section on the writing of a research paper which is very sound and helpful, but the bulk of the material is, quite rightly, concerned with the task of guiding anyone who wants to get a good idea of what kind of thing has already been said about Shakespeare by scholars who, whether "right" or "wrong", have made a substantial contribution in their work on the author. Obviously there is a real difficulty deciding what should be included in a book of this nature, but the selection has been wisely made. Very sensibly, there is no over-emphasis on what is recent. Thus S.T. Coleridge, for example, who remains one of the most important of the early commentators, is included, but so is e.g. Stephen Greenblatt, who is among the best-known modern ones. It is striking, too, how objective, accurate, and clear the authors are in their descriptions of what scholars have to say. This is no mean feat, since they are dealing with a very wide range of material, and include authors whom many would not be nearly so objective and factual about. As for the fact that the book is now a few years old: that is no reason for not buying it. After all, the few years NOT covered are only a very short span in the wider scheme of things, and it is certainly possible to find out about more recent publications by consulting e.g. reviews in *Shakespeare Quarterly*. At the least, this guide will direct one to the more important publications until the time of publication, and it is possible to decide from the descriptions supplied whether or not an item discussed here is likely to supply one's need. The book thus saves one a good deal of time as well as informing one about major statements and trends in Shakespeare scholarship; it is an essential tool for anyone doing serious work on the author - certainly if not a beginner, though even a beginner willl find the book accessible and informative enough to be of use. - Joost Daalder, Professor of English, Flinders University (South Australia)

Many 'experts' have attempted to interpret the Paleolithic images and forms found in underground passages and caves such as Lascaux, Altamira, and Chauvet. Known as Franco-Cantabrian, because 95 percent of cave art in the world lies in Southern France or the Iberian Peninsula, these works rank among the most mysterious. What were the artists thinking??

In THE SHAMANS OF PREHISTORY, Jean Clottes and David Lewis-Williams put forth their interpretation of the meaning of Paleolithic cave art. Clottes is currently investigating Chauvet and Lewis Williams is a professor of cognitive archeology affiliated with the University of Whitwatersrand in South Africa.

During the last Ice Age, Paleolithic humans gathered in the warmer parts of the European continent in what is today southern France and northern Portugal and Spain, along with large numbers of animals including horses, bison, deer, aurochs, and others. For some reason, these humans felt compelled to depict some of these animals in "parietal" or cave art. The discovery of this art has launched much speculation.

Early on, experts suggested that the cave art was "art for art's sake" (posited by anti-church scientists who could not accept any religious connection). Most recently, experts in Structuralism have suggested binary patterns underlie the meaning of the art, but these patterns are so general as to be unhelpful.

The most persistent interpretation of the art during the past 100 years has been that it was created in conjunction with sympathetic magic rituals used to increase the size of herds of animals hunters stalked. But this interpretation has many flaws. For one thing, the area surrounding the caves was brimming with game at the time the art was created. For another, many of the animals consumed by Paleolithic humans were not depicted (fish, birds, boars, for example). For another, horses outnumber other beasts pictured, and although they were sometimes consumed by humans, the bones left behind in various camp sites indicate horses were not at the top of the menu. Other problems with the "hunter" interpretation lie in the actual depiction of the animals-spears and arrows are often placed at odd angles for killing; animals are placed at odd angles for living or dying; animals appear to be more alive than dead; pregnant females are seldom shown--and last but not least, some of the animals are predators themselves. Naturalists that they were, Paleolithic folks certainly understood the source of baby animals and they certainly would not have wished to increase the numbers of their competitors.

Clottes and Lewis-Williams propose another interpretation of the cave art -- Shamanism. The term Shaman is taken from the Siberian word Tungus-the name of one who goes into a trance and has visions. All humans are capable of entering a trance or "altered state" and cultures around the world exhibit variations of Shamanism -- including many orthodox Western religions. Some enter a trance via drugs (wine, peyote, etc.), others engage in ritual behavior (chants, songs, and/or dancing). Shamanic trances produce out-of-body experiences involving various apparitions which may or may not be rendered into art forms.

I found the authors arguments concerning Shamanism persuasive and logical. The evidence they offer to support their thesis is excellent (many colorful photos). Their interpretation is helpful while not overreaching. Probably the most important aspect they stress is that while there is much diversity in cave art, a pattern is present. Best of all from my perspective, this thesis is gender and age neutral. Whatever Paleolithic humans did, women probably took part. This is a beautiful Abrams art book.

In this work, the author's have contributed something of profound depth (without being obscure) that empowers the individual to meet the challenging times in which we live - with greater understanding. The author's accomplish this difficult task by sharing their researches into the cosmological themes that, unknown to most, serve as the back-drop to daily life, and connect us to the Divine-Spiritual Powers. It is hoped that, in the future, there will be more works of this caliber - that address the recondite concepts of Astrosophy (Star Wisdom), in a manner that is both accessible to the general reader, and useful to the specialist.

This collection of plays offers children some wacky clowning dialogue. The possibilites for dramatic action are numerous. A fun time will be had by all without the usual moralizing that so many children's plays slap on kids.

Dave Williams' "Sin Boldly" ought to be required reading in colleges today. It's not the dry, ponderous grammar rulebook so common to dry, ponderous English lectures; "Sin Boldly" cuts to the heart of writing by describing effective thinking: how to plot an argument, logical pitfalls, and reasoning on paper. In addition, it includes engaging rules of grammar, asking some of those tricky "Is it this way, or that?" questions. It's a quick read, a handy reference, and an indispensable tool for "acing the college paper!"

I read this book which was by one of my professors at UCLA. Well-written and fascinating. Gives a kind of intellectual history of ancient Israel and some insight into the origins and development of the bible. Definately worth reading, but not for the faint of heart.

Quisiera que me pudieran enviar la solucion del caso problema: Yeager National Bank
que vien een el manual solucion.

I read this book in one evening. It is perfect for a light evening of reading especially if you always want to know the ending fast. This book has just enough detail about the characters and the situation, but yet allows you to use your imagination. The story line is amazing and the ending is unexpected.

This is an excellent book for young architects. Learn where to place that last nail or screw. Never go to your next planning session without it. Never has a book of such caliber been written. (I have incresed my own earnings by $128,000 in one year, the year I purchased this book.)

David Hein, a Professor of Religion at Hood College in Maryland, has found gold in the mine of his state's Civil War archives, in this collection of letters written by members of a prominent Maryland family on the eve of and during the war. Hein's book immerses us in civilian life as civil war approached, fiercely as a wind-driven wildfire, personified by the Montgomery County family of Allen Bowie Davis, a prosperous gentleman farmer/legislator from Rockville, then a village north of Washington.

Davis and his wife, Hester, in time became unionists who feared the consequences of a Maryland secession for their state and family. "We may not like the present administration, nor endorse its acts-but-'we had better bear the ills we have than to fly to others that we know not of,'" wrote Hester to her daughter, Rebecca, late in May of 1861. "Let Maryland remain neutral and she may ride out safely this awful storm...I fear this secession element. It would be certain ruin to all our hopes as a family, in this world."

Their son, William Wilkins Davis, was a student at St. James College, a prestigious Episcopal boy's school near Hagerstown, in western Maryland. St. James had the misfortune to lie between opposing armies that tramped incessantly through the region and staged America's bloodiest day on a battlefield a mere seven miles distant, along Antietam Creek. The boys of St. James spent Sunday afternoons in the spring of 1861 not in the library but visiting nearby union and confederate camps. Fearful parents began withdrawing their sons as tensions grew. In the spring of 1861, with the bombardment of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor and Baltimoreans clashing with northern troops marching through their city, young Wilkins became an impassioned sympathizer for the southern cause. Letters heretofore about food, studies and illness became angry diatribes against Lincoln, Maryland Governor Thomas Hicks, and others perceived to have a foot on the jugular of southern state's rights. "I hereby announce myself, henceforth, a straight out 'Southern Rights' man, and want nothing to do with Lincoln, his party or anything connected with him, or it, unless it is to help thrash him," he wrote to sister Rebecca on May 21, 1861. "I can no longer support a man whose avowed intention is to subjugate the South...and our contemptible, cowardly, lying governor winks at every thing [he] does without the lest compunction." Such words remind us that 19th century political discourse could also be ugly and coarse.

Both young Wilkins and St. James fared poorly in the cauldron of conflict. The boy took ill early in the war and, despite periods of good health, he died in 1866. The college closed its doors in 1864, an educational casualty of war.

Hein's book captures the complexity of the Civil War in a state of abolitionists, pro-slavery unionists, anti-slavery southern sympathizers and non-slaveholding secessionists. We see a pivotal Maryland through the eyes of adults and children, and the consequences of war for familial relationships, religious values and educational institutions. Hein's crisp editorial commentary knits these letters chronologically, supplying time and place for the Davis family to tell of life in the tumultuous middle of the nineteenth century. We are in the debt of this slender volume, for reminding us that a history replete with leaders and battles is incomplete absent the insights of sons and daughters, and mothers and fathers.